Ralf Schumacher: “He [Lewis Hamilton] Wanted to Earn Some Real Money Again”

Just when we thought the world of F1 has moved on from the bombshell Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari news, we have a fresh set of perspectives on the decision. Many have given their varying opinion on the matter addressing the motivation and timing of the move and even the announcement. Whereas many have sided with the 7x world champion on his decision to switch to the Italian team, Ralf Schumacher has given us his unique perspective.

The German does not believe Hamilton has made this move as a last-ditch attempt to win his eighth championship title. In fact, he’s credited Frederic Vassuer for the team’s current positive state and believes Hamilton won’t be de facto numero uno with Charles Leclerc‘s upper hand in the team, despite what Vasseur would suggest. So why, according to Ralf Schumacher, did Lewis Hamilton move to Ferrari? For the money!

He revealed this opinion and hinted Hamilton wanted to be associated with the Ferrari brand for life after F1 in his recent interview with Sport1.de. When asked if Hamilton will have the same impact as his brother, Schumacher replied, “A good question. One thing is certain: Fred Vasseur – now in his second year in office as team boss – has paved the way. The car has gotten better, the team has calmed down and he is doing everything he can to make Ferrari even stronger in the future with new technicians. But what matters is: How good is Lewis Hamilton? How motivated is he still? He expects that everything will be done to make him feel comfortable, that he is number one on the team. But I don’t think Charles Leclerc sees himself as Ferrari’s second driver. For him, it is an ordeal. He has to beat Hamilton, who is in the final stretch of his career due to his age. But Leclerc has advantages: He is a Ferrari pupil and speaks perfect Italian. That’s why it will be exciting to see how everything develops at Ferrari.” (Translated via Google)

After weighing in on the move from a competitive perspective, he expressed his monetary motivation opinion. He added, “But I can understand Lewis: He wanted to earn real money again and drive for a brand that had so much appeal that he could still use it even after his active career.”

Read More: Lewis Hamilton Had “Nearly Signed With Ferrari” Pre-2013 before Niki Lauda Convinced Him to Join Mercedes

A $100 million a year salary for a multi-year contract does scream money move. Couple that with the $400 million check for his business from John Elkaan and this argument becomes stronger. However, surely a driver of Hamilton’s caliber will add some value to the team. Surely he would have some positive impact and win races if not a championship with the team. Well, according to Schumacher’s recent comments, Ferrari is already on the way to glory, with or without the Brit.

Ralf Schumacher believes Lewis Hamilton will not have a significant impact on Ferrari

Ralf Schumacher hasn’t held back while giving his take on Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. In an earlier interview, when the German was asked about the move, he brutally snubbed the Brit of significantly contributing to the team. Schumacher pointed out how only Ferrari has been consistently the closest to Red Bull in the past couple of seasons, so it will be the Italian team adding value to his last stint in F1 and not the other way around.

“He will certainly bring his experience and his intuitions, but I think Ferrari is already on the right path,” Ralf Schumacher said. “Hamilton won’t be able to contribute much,” he further added.

A brutal assessment from the German toward the Brit. However, outlooks can vary and we won’t know whose was the closest until we see Hamilton race in 2025.